There are known connectors which are provided with connector terminals having a front terminal that comes into contact with a connection target such as an FPC or a plug connector and a rear terminal that comes into contact with the connection target subsequent to connection of the front terminal. The connector terminals are housed in a housing of the connector, and the front terminal and the rear terminal each have a contact portion having a contact edge that comes into press contact with a connection target. The housing has an insertion port for the connection target and a mating chamber in which the connector terminal comes into contact with the connection target inserted from the insertion port. Each contact portion protrudes into the mating chamber from a slit which is formed as an opening of a terminal housing groove disposed on the inner wall of the mating chamber so that the contact portion comes into contact with a connection target inserted from the insertion port (see Patent Literature 1 as an example).
In manufacturing of the connector terminals, the shapes may slightly vary or the assembly positions may be displaced. This may cause the distal end of the contact portion of the rear terminal to protrude from the slit and abut the connection target during mating, leading to buckling or breaking in a mating chamber. In order to prevent such problems, the contact portion of the front terminal may be disposed to cover the upper side of the distal end of the contact portion of the rear terminal which faces the insertion port of the housing to achieve a prevention effect to a certain extent, since insertion of the connection target can be first accommodated by the contact portion of the front terminal and then by the contact portion of the rear terminal (see the first embodiment of Patent Literature 1). In order to further improve the prevention effect, a terminal structure has been proposed which has a gap in the contact portion of the front terminal so as to house the distal end of the contact portion of the rear terminal (see the second embodiment of Patent Literature 1 as disclosure of a similar structure). Use of the above connector terminal may limit the position of the distal end of the contact portion of the rear terminal to the inside of the gap of the front terminal. This configuration can reduce abutting of the connection target. Accordingly, the above problem of the contact portion of the rear terminal protruding into the mating chamber can be eliminated in a reliable manner.